Twenty Nigerian words and expressions have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary, a Nigerian English consultant with the dictionary, Kingsley Ugwuanyi has said.
Announcing the addition of the Nigerian lexicons to Oxford English Dictionary, Ugwuanyi wrote on his LinkedIn page, “I’m thrilled to announce that the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Oxford Languages | OUP has officially published its latest updates, featuring an amazing collection of Nigerian English words that beautifully reflect Nigeria’s culture, creativity, and the unique ways we express ourselves as Nigerians.”
He added that he had the opportunity to not only draft most of the words but provide their hashtags and pronunciation guide which help non-Nigerian users to articulate the words correctly.
The newly added words include:
419
abi
adire
agbero
area boy
cross-carpet
cross-carpeting
eba
Edo
gele
jand (noun, verb)
janded (adjective)
Japa (noun, verb)
Kanuri
Kobo
Naija
suya
Yahoo
yahoo boy
Yarn Dust